Where the heck did April go? It only seems like yesterday that we were welcoming new arrivals and now most are back on breeding territories and spring migration will be over for another year! Still, May is still an excellent month with a lot of potential for nice birds to arrive. The second day of the bank holiday weekend was relatively quiet with a few migrants still dropping in. At Greenland’s Farm there was singles of Whimbrel and Lesser Whitethroat plus 2 Common Whitethroat and 10 Wheatear. In Brands Bay a late Great Northern Diver is still present with 7 Whimbrel, 4 Curlew, 84 Black-tailed Godwit 10 Dunlin and 2 Common Tern. At Lytchett Bay there were 11 species of wader recorded with highlights being the first Bar-tailed Godwit of the year, also 2 Avocet, 4 Greenshank and 37 Whimbrel. Also around Lytchett Fields was the sites first Garden Warbler, 2 Whitethroat and plenty of Hirundines. At the PCW Drain there was one each of Reed and Sedge Warbler. A night recording session from our listening station in Poole produced just a single Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel and several Oystercatcher.

 Common Sandpiper – Calls of a night time migrant – Old Town Poole Listening Station